How do the two things sound - apples and oranges?? To most of us, exactly that. The Modern woman is so averse to cooking that one really ponders why does the very idea drives her crazy. To ask my lady to cook something is to stir a hornet's nest. Before I am deemed an MCP (ask any woman and she'll tell u its Male Chauvinist Pig), let me tell you the above request comes with a 50 - 50 contribution offer - which she also understands would be 60 - 40 with a greater effort falling on me. I approach her with all precautions and with all the SOPs associated with the offer, but I am yet to find a way to have her happily get into it.
I used to think that the problem was a specific one and I am the only unfortunate one who faces the wrath of the 'thy will not cook or contribute to cook' (yes it sounds like the 11th commandment) disciple. However, out there in the modern jungle I found lots of company. It really makes me wonder why has this attitude developed?
On a closer look, I found that there's evolution behind it. Women have, primarily, been subjected to household work from the time there's life on earth. Men have assumed more authority and have attached greater importance to their role in the society. Women have been considered second to men for a long long time. Due to this, an inferior tag got attached to the role of women and to the work they do in their day to day activities. Be it, cooking or raising children or for that matter any household chore. The fact, that the so called inferior role is as important as any other, got lost into oblivion.
In the 20th century, a greater number of women came out of the cocoon and started to fly the flight which was, so far, the forte of men. A larger number of women started looking forward to a job which would earn them money. Slowly, it became a universal law that the homely role was actually inferior. The modern attitude towards cooking developed as a nemesis to the attitude met by women to the role they previously had in the society. Since they found more satisfaction and recognition in the new found role, women themselves started looking down at the household job.
In today's world the "I cannot cook" fad has actually created more problems - more so for women. Men, today are more inclined than ever before, toward cooking, whereas women are running away from it. To circumvent this, they turn towards readymade meals and fast-to-cook, good-to-eat ideas - which are most of the times, a compromise with nutrition. The result is poor nutrition and unhealthy conditions.
I try convincing her and women who are struck with the "I cannot cook" fad that its not "cool" to not know cooking. Be it a man or woman, the first thing that differentiated human being from other creatures was that human being could cook. With the reverse evolution, we might one day end up back in the jungle - probably of a different kind.
I hope she reads this and understand the value of cooking food and eating at home.
Disclaimer: The author is a strong supporter of equality of sexes, so please donot read this article with any prejudice which might arise just because the author is a male.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Honking, hyderabadi ishhtyle.
When have you been last irked on the road by a nonchalant honker? Well, a hyderabadi would have a memory that would not extend beyond today or else I would say he/she is patience personified. They dwell in every nook and cranny of the streets of hyderabad and exist in all forms - behind the wheel, on a bike, not to mention, in the good ol' yellow-black boxes of nuisance on three wheels - the autorichshaws. They have the ability to get on to your nerves fast, they can extract expletives from you in no time. They'll make you make way at any cost and then pass by you with such a contempt that you'll give a second thought to your driving skills. There is quiet a variety of honkers existing on hyd roads. I have discovered a few species of this deadly creature. Wouldn't mind the Noble prize for zoology (I know it doesn't exist) for this feat.
The impatient honker is the most irritating of the lot. He'll (I'll use the masculine pronoun to avoid the wrath of the feminist honker) honk till eternity or till you get out of his way. It can never occur to him that there could be a genuine reason why you can't make way for his grand passage. He would make you believe that you could be killed if the horn weapon was just a tad more lethal. While honking, expecting your quick action to his call, he'll look at you with such disdain as if the suggestion is - you don't have the right to exist on the street. To your relief, you get the oppurtunity to let this juggernaut pass - believe me, you are the one who's victorious - after all peace of mind is invaluable.
The next most abundant is the proactive honker. He honks not because he wants somebody out of his way, but because nobody should come into his way. He is a V.I.P. in his own sense. He'll extend the capabilities of the horn way beyond its purpose - He'll treat it as a siren to ward off the commoners. His last wish would be to employ the city police to stall the traffic when he's on the road. You dare not come into his way, else he would quickly change color to resemble his close cousin - the impatient honker. He's most of the time, young and seated on a bike, which is though most of the times a 150cc or even lesser powered bike, but gives him an illusion of a honda CBRR - 1200 cc or a suzuki hayabusa 1300 cc special edition.
The last, but not the least is the habitual honker. He'll honk with a set frequency, without a purpose. You can even write a mathematical expression which denotes the time frequency of his honking and can accurately predict the exact time he'll honk next. He's the most dull witted of the lot, doesn't even realize what he's really doing. The honking habit has just grown into him along with his driving skills. You can think of him as a cross breed of a jack-ass and one of the variety above. He's a cabbie most of the times, pays more attention to the crooner at the radio station thats playing his favourite song. Needless to say, he's quiet dangerous - not so much for his honking habit, but purely because of his absent mindedness. Maintain a safe distance from this variety, because you never know which turn that he'll take to make you land in trouble.
I have these three species identified during this short time I have been in hyderabad. I know there are a few others that exist, though not in as large a number as the cousins above. I would be elated to figure out a few more and would appreciate any external help or pointers.
The impatient honker is the most irritating of the lot. He'll (I'll use the masculine pronoun to avoid the wrath of the feminist honker) honk till eternity or till you get out of his way. It can never occur to him that there could be a genuine reason why you can't make way for his grand passage. He would make you believe that you could be killed if the horn weapon was just a tad more lethal. While honking, expecting your quick action to his call, he'll look at you with such disdain as if the suggestion is - you don't have the right to exist on the street. To your relief, you get the oppurtunity to let this juggernaut pass - believe me, you are the one who's victorious - after all peace of mind is invaluable.
The next most abundant is the proactive honker. He honks not because he wants somebody out of his way, but because nobody should come into his way. He is a V.I.P. in his own sense. He'll extend the capabilities of the horn way beyond its purpose - He'll treat it as a siren to ward off the commoners. His last wish would be to employ the city police to stall the traffic when he's on the road. You dare not come into his way, else he would quickly change color to resemble his close cousin - the impatient honker. He's most of the time, young and seated on a bike, which is though most of the times a 150cc or even lesser powered bike, but gives him an illusion of a honda CBRR - 1200 cc or a suzuki hayabusa 1300 cc special edition.
The last, but not the least is the habitual honker. He'll honk with a set frequency, without a purpose. You can even write a mathematical expression which denotes the time frequency of his honking and can accurately predict the exact time he'll honk next. He's the most dull witted of the lot, doesn't even realize what he's really doing. The honking habit has just grown into him along with his driving skills. You can think of him as a cross breed of a jack-ass and one of the variety above. He's a cabbie most of the times, pays more attention to the crooner at the radio station thats playing his favourite song. Needless to say, he's quiet dangerous - not so much for his honking habit, but purely because of his absent mindedness. Maintain a safe distance from this variety, because you never know which turn that he'll take to make you land in trouble.
I have these three species identified during this short time I have been in hyderabad. I know there are a few others that exist, though not in as large a number as the cousins above. I would be elated to figure out a few more and would appreciate any external help or pointers.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Indo US nuclear deal
Folks - time for some serious talk. I have been following the Indo-US nuke deal of lately. The first question that came to my mind was what does the US gain from this deal. On closer scrutiny, got a few answers. A summary to unravel the mystery. Dedicated to the time I killed discussing this with myself.
The India US nuclear deal has generated a lot of interest worldwide - both negatively and positively. The recent visit by president bush to India, and his show of desire to complete the deal with India has raised a lot of hopes for a quick closure. However, on the flip side, the scepticism in the US congress is acting as a dampener to the otherwise quick progress. The deal is a clear indication of a changing US opinion of India, a strong signal that the two of the world's largest democracies have moved ahead of the 1998-post pokhran bitterness.
The two parties for the deal have lots to take home from this deal. India's ever growing energy demands stare straight into the face of policy makers. A nuclear power enriched India could not have been a possibility at a more appropriate time than this. India continues to grow over 7.5 percent over the last year and its is expected to grow at the same or even higher rate in the years to come, energy demands are increasing manifolds. The traditional sources of energy like thermal energy are becoming expensive due to the rise of the cost of crude and coal. Nuclear energy would provide the much desired respite from the ever increasing energy prices and a lack of supply of adequate power.
Washington is now expecting India to be a major ally and a hedge against the growing Chinese influence in South Asia. They have come to realize that denying India fissile power would make china more influential in the region. India comes as a natural choice for this role for various reasons. India is the next most strong economic power in the region and a democratic setup similar to the US. Washington's cold-war era ally - Pakistan suffers from its own kitty of problems especially the threat of nuclear technology being sold out to what US considers rouge nations like Iran and terrorist outfits like al-qaeda.
India's close ties with Iran is also a concern for the white house. The US realizes that India's close relations with Iran are a result of the supplier consumer relationship built due to the trade of oil and natural gas between the two countries. With a self sufficient India, US hopes to alienate Iran of any potential support by India to Iran's nuclear policy.
The criticism against the proposed deal is born mainly out of the fact that the deal does not talk about India signing the NPT (non proliferation treaty). This is being seen as a major shift by president Bush from United States' Nuclear policy. The deal allows India to open only 11 out of the 18 nuclear reactors for international monitoring. Moreover, it is solely india's discretion to classify future reactors as civil or military. This has not gone down well with the US senators and it will take a lot of wooing by the likes of Condoleeza Rice to establish India as a reliable ally of the United states.
The India US nuclear deal has generated a lot of interest worldwide - both negatively and positively. The recent visit by president bush to India, and his show of desire to complete the deal with India has raised a lot of hopes for a quick closure. However, on the flip side, the scepticism in the US congress is acting as a dampener to the otherwise quick progress. The deal is a clear indication of a changing US opinion of India, a strong signal that the two of the world's largest democracies have moved ahead of the 1998-post pokhran bitterness.
The two parties for the deal have lots to take home from this deal. India's ever growing energy demands stare straight into the face of policy makers. A nuclear power enriched India could not have been a possibility at a more appropriate time than this. India continues to grow over 7.5 percent over the last year and its is expected to grow at the same or even higher rate in the years to come, energy demands are increasing manifolds. The traditional sources of energy like thermal energy are becoming expensive due to the rise of the cost of crude and coal. Nuclear energy would provide the much desired respite from the ever increasing energy prices and a lack of supply of adequate power.
Washington is now expecting India to be a major ally and a hedge against the growing Chinese influence in South Asia. They have come to realize that denying India fissile power would make china more influential in the region. India comes as a natural choice for this role for various reasons. India is the next most strong economic power in the region and a democratic setup similar to the US. Washington's cold-war era ally - Pakistan suffers from its own kitty of problems especially the threat of nuclear technology being sold out to what US considers rouge nations like Iran and terrorist outfits like al-qaeda.
India's close ties with Iran is also a concern for the white house. The US realizes that India's close relations with Iran are a result of the supplier consumer relationship built due to the trade of oil and natural gas between the two countries. With a self sufficient India, US hopes to alienate Iran of any potential support by India to Iran's nuclear policy.
The criticism against the proposed deal is born mainly out of the fact that the deal does not talk about India signing the NPT (non proliferation treaty). This is being seen as a major shift by president Bush from United States' Nuclear policy. The deal allows India to open only 11 out of the 18 nuclear reactors for international monitoring. Moreover, it is solely india's discretion to classify future reactors as civil or military. This has not gone down well with the US senators and it will take a lot of wooing by the likes of Condoleeza Rice to establish India as a reliable ally of the United states.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
whoopie!! I am a blogger now
Welcome me onboard, I have joined the gang of bloggers. As the description of my blog goes, I am not much of a blogger - well, then why the heck did I create one (??), thought its a good way to start to express myself, do all the talking, take out few moments for what I think about myself, the world around, the issues around. Mix a bit of fun, esp. things I am interested in , like the latest spanish (espanol) learning fever ( I know this one's very strong), and mix up a cocktail(something I would love doing, thanks Mishra for inspiring me) that I can sip at my own will, pondering over things that are yet to come, days that I am yet to see and working to make them gleeful.
till then,
ciao.
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